TFT runs legality workshops for Crate & Barrel suppliers

21 Jun 2012

TFT’s Indonesia team has hosted a workshop on behalf of US furniture and homeware retailer Crate & Barrel to prepare its suppliers for legislation affecting exports from March 2013.

TFT runs legality workshops for Crate & Barrel suppliers

The three-day workshop run by TFT’s Factory Wood Control System team on May 14-16 focused on the new Indonesian Wood Legality Verification System (SVLK) and the US Lacey Act.

The SVLK comes into force in March 2013 and aims to reduce illegal timber exports from Indonesia by ensuring that timber and other wood products are certified legal and are traceable back to origin. The Lacey Act aims to ban illegal timber from being sold in the US.

Staff from 16 factories across Java gathered in Semarang to learn more about the requirements of the legislation and what measures they need to put in place to successfully pass SVLK audits.

Crate & Barrel has 7,000 stores across the US and Canada, and recently expanded into the United Arab Emirates. TFT has worked with Crate & Barrel since 2005 to ensure that hardwood bought by the retailer is sourced from responsibly-managed forests.

Crate & Barrel’s investment has meant TFT can deploy staff on the ground in Indonesian forests and factories to work closely with forest companies, community forests and Crate & Barrel’s suppliers to ensure responsible management. This involves being able to trace products from the shop floor back to the forest and through the stages of production. It also involves respect for the rights of local communities, and making sure farmers receive a good price for their wood.

TFT sent suppliers SVLK self-assessment sheets one week before the workshop, and they arrived with assessment results that were discussed with the TFT team throughout the three days. 

Together with colleagues, TFT workshop hosts Nofri Iswandi and Hartono Prabowo will continue to review progress against audit findings. They will also review those factories that are currently audited by TFT for their implementation TFT’s Wood Control System, which provides full supply chain transparency control, from forest through to the point of export.

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